Annie Gasparro
The Wall Street Journal
January 3, 2014
General Mills Inc. GIS -0.54% has started producing Cheerios free of genetically modified content, making the 73-year-old breakfast cereal one of the highest-profile brands to change in the face of growing complaints over such ingredients from activist groups and some consumers.
The change—which only affects original Cheerios, not other varieties like Honey Nut Cheerios—has been in the works since about a year ago, when General Mills began working to change manufacturing for Cheerios to eliminate ingredients containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
The company started manufacturing the GMO-free cereal several weeks ago, and expects it to be available to consumers “shortly,” once the products have made their way through the distribution system and onto shelves. The Cheerios will carry the label “Not Made With Genetically Modified Ingredients,” though the company notes that they could contain trace amounts due to contamination in shipping or manufacturing.
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